Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal, has perfected arrangements to criminalise parents’ refusal to send their children to school in the state.
If a bill presented by the governor before the state House of Assembly is eventually passed into law, parents who refuse to give their children or wards formal education will be committing a criminal offence.
Tambuwal gave the hint yesterday, while addressing religious, traditional and political leaders from 11 local government areas of the state who paid him a Sallah visit in Sokoto.
Although considered as both radical and revolutionary, the move is the governor’s way of boosting school enrolment and providing quality education to every child as required by local and international laws.
He noted that as part of measures to enhance implementation of the new policy, government will build and equip 240 primary and tertiary healthcare centres in the three senatorial zones of the state.
He explained that the policy became necessary in view of the high number of parents who deliberately frustrate government efforts to educate children, adding that the state government has already made adequate arrangements to cater for the educational needs of its citizens.
He warned that anyone caught flouting the new regulation will not be spared, even as he recalled that the founders of Sokoto Caliphate made their marks in the areas of education and scholarship.
The governor said that as such, there would be no excuse if their successors fail to provide at least basic education to the future generation because if the state gets its education priorities right, many ills of the society will be taken care of.
He appealed to the leaders to support the new initiative, saying vocational training centres and employment opportunities will be created to cater for the youths and other vulnerable members of the society.
